{Inspired DIY Goodness} Chair Back Signs, Ribbon Wall + Tissue Paper Garland

This is the 2nd post in a week-long series of amazing DIY projects from Kimberly at Inspired Goodness from a wedding she designed. We already shared her ceremony canopy, and today we’re moving to interior decorations with the ribbon wall, chair back signs and tissue paper garland! Keep coming back all week for more tasty goodness, but for now, I’ll let Kimberly take it away.
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Since the venue was a large empty loft space, we decided to visually portion off some areas with simple decorations. The vibrant colors and repeat patterns were a nod to Dan’s love of architecture and clean lines. Marquina selected the grass green, white and lilac color palette and we ran with it.

Above: a 12-foot wall of ribbon was secured between to large floor-to-ceiling columns. It served as a backdrop for the sweetheart table and hid some pipes along the far wall from being in photographs.

Shorter variations of the ribbon wall were used to decorate the bride and grooms’ chairs with “Just” and “Married” signs, along with a bit of detail on the front of the sweetheart table.

We created a series of tissue paper garlands using grass green, lilac and white squares. These were tied in an “X” shape over the dance floor and also were wrapped along the staircase leading from the ceremony area to the reception space outside.

Ribbon Wall

To recreate the ribbon wall, you want to simply measure the space you have (both width and height) and break out your calculator to do some calculations based on what width ribbon you plan to order. To give it a random look, we worked with about 5 different colors and widths. It made planning a bit more difficult, but the end look was just perfect.

You want to begin with one spool of ribbon at a time. Cut to your calculated room height, but be sure to add an extra 2” at the top for sewing a loop. Once all your ribbon is cut, organize it (believe me when I say you will need a lot of space for this project. It took over my apartment for a good week and there was a mess of ribbon everywhere mid-way through.)

Break out your sewing machine and thread with a color that compliments your color palette. We choose white thread. At one end of each piece of ribbon, slightly fold over 1” and sew a line. Make sure to seal off the ends with a backstitch. Cut the ribbon off the threaded machine and you’re good to go.

Day-of, you can thread the sewn ribbon onto a heavy gauge fishing line. If you are using a lot of ribbon, be sure to bring wire to secure it to the columns. It’s easier to handle than fishing line.

Since you will be most likely using a large amount of ribbon, it’s key to find it from a wholesaler. We went with JMK and choose a Satin / Acetate blend. It comes in a ton of colors and is really cost effective. We recommend going with larger widths like 2” and 4” to make sure you have less ribbon. It makes the project run a lot faster.

Total Project Cost: $75

Tissue Paper Garland Tutorial

Materials:

1. Tissue Paper Squares: Oriental Trading Company had the best selections I found. Their price for a set of 8 colors (625 squares of each color) is just $4.99.
2. Thread: I used standard white sewing thread. Originally I purchased clear thread, but it kept breaking in the sewing machine. The white worked perfectly and I used less than 1 full spool (including the thread for the bobbin).
3. Sewing Machine: I had to do some tests first with the tension since tissue paper is very brittle to sew. A chain stitch worked perfectly to hold the pieces just right.

Directions, per above photos:

1. I started by separating the squares of tissue paper and organizing them by color. This took a little more time then expected, but it makes sewing a breeze.
2. My sewing machine was threaded with white thread and with some gentle pressure on my foot petal; I kept a slow, constant pace, alternating the three colors.
3. Close-up detail of the spacing used for the squares. Some were layered on top of each other and others we’re spaced out a little wider, as in this example.
4. Detail of the finished garland

Total Project Cost: less than $10

Stay tuned throughout the week, for more Inspired DIY Goodness from Kimberly Canale, including a photo-display wall, seed packet escort card favors and invitations!
(reception photos by Casey Fatchett Photography)